Police: Man steals from ex, sends her pictures of stolen items

POTTSTOWN – A Philadelphia man’s apparent joke on his ex-girlfriend may have landed him in trouble. Melvin Leroy Hopkins, 44, of Philadelphia, faces charges of burglary, theft, and other related charges stemming from incidents reported to police on July 21.

Pottstown Police Officer Chris Zahorchak responded to a report of a burglary at 71 E. High St. around 12:24 p.m. made by Barbara Mitchell, 34, of Pottstown, saying there was a suspicious man on her property.

When Zahorchak arrived at the scene, he met with Timothy Metz, a contractor hired by Mitchell for pest control inside her home.

Metz told police that the back door had been left unlocked for him to enter the home, but when he got to the home, he saw a skinny black man, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, exit the home, according to police. The man asked Metz what he was doing there, and Metz stated that he also asked him, “Is she home?”

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When Metz went inside the home, he told police that ketchup was smeared all over the walls, furniture, and housing appliances. The power cords to the TV were cut, police reported.

Mitchell later reported that her wallet was missing, which contained her ID, birth certificate, her son’s certificate, her medical cards, and her bank card, police reports said.

Mitchell showed police several text messages she received from her child’s father on July 21 and 22. The messages indicated Hopkins was allegedly in Mitchell’s house and had allegedly taken her wallet. One message said, “Did you find your wallet yet?” according to court documents,

She also received a message from him earlier that day that said “wait to (sic) you get home HA HA,” indicating that he had been in her home.

On July 22, Metz agreed to take part in a photographic array to identify who the man he saw was, police said.

Metz was shown a photographic lineup in Pottstown Borough Hall. After going through eight photos, he asked to see them a second time, police said.

Later that day, Mitchell allegedly received more texts, along with pictures, from Hopkins including one that read “I mite (sic) pay for this” with a picture of Mitchell’s wallet attached and “do you want to see inside” with a picture attached of the wallet open, according to court documents.